You're Invited To Every Human A Home: A Free Benefit Concert For Our Most Vulnerable And Unhoused Neighbors Saturday November 18 At Historic Roosevelt Island Good Shepherd Chapel - All Donations Collected By Mosaic Church Go To City Relief And Mtree Organizations, Simple Tips For You To Help Too

It’s homeless awareness month

Join us on #Rooseveltisland this Saturday for a benefit concert. Donations go to @CityRelief_ and the ongoing work with un-housed neighbors & migrants

Reserve your space here https://t.co/ryrkJC2Hou pic.twitter.com/e0zAEvIDx9

— Dan Sadlier (@dansadlier) November 14, 2023

Roosevelt Island resident and Mosaic Church Pastor Dan Sadlier reports

#EVERYHUMAN A HOME

A benefit concert for our most vulnerable and unhoused neighbors.

As homelessness continues to rise in NYC and beyond, and as the developing world continues to fight for basic human needs, we at Mosaic Church long to steward the generosity of neighbors who currently have access to resources for our most vulnerable neighbors both (here) in the NY region, and (there), across the world in developing countries.

Join us for a free night of New York's finest music; from classical, to R&B, from recording pop artists, to internationally acclaimed pianists. We invite you and your friends to enjoy a variety of music in the historic Chapel of Good Shepherd, with the aim of raising 10K for two critical NGO's that are serving the most vulnerable in this moment.

Saturday, November 18th @ 5PM

543 Main Street, NY NY 10044

The Historic Chapel of the Good Shepherd

All donations collected by Mosaic Church will go directly to these two non-profit organizations below. The concert is free, with generous donations suggested.

Cityrelief.org- City Relief is a mobile outreach in NYC/NJ, offering people experiencing poverty and homelessness hot meals, supplies, and connections to resources for housing, employment, and health care. These connections change people’s lives. Over 60,000 neighbors were served just in the past 12 months.

Mtree.org- Mtree creates artful change, a renewal of marginalized communities in developing countries to become healthy, sustainable communities through art and design

Here is a collaborative piece from CEO of City Relief, Josiah Haken and Roosevelt Island Pastor Dan Sadlier

The holidays are a time to gather together with friends and loved ones to share a meal, watch sports, and remember the good things in life we too often take for granted. This year in particular, economic uncertainty, mental health challenges, political unrest, the residual effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and more are competing to crush our spirits and peace of mind.

I (Josiah Haken) have found that the best way to shift from agonizing over what is wrong with the world to celebrating what is right is to choose compassion over complacency.

I have the privilege of leading an organization called City Relief. We go into the streets of New York and New Jersey with vehicles renovated as mobile soup kitchens that are used to share delicious meals as well as essentials like socks and toiletries with the unhoused community/

We eat with our guests and have ordinary dinner table conversations with them that, unfortunately, many people won’t. This establishes trust, which often gives us the opportunity to connect people to resources getting them off the street altogether.

Our volunteers consistently leave these events fulfilled, experiencing the joy of seeing their neighbors in need, not as a problem to solve, but as human beings worthy of compassion. This last year alone we were able to serve over 60,000 guests, many of them un-housed or in the shelter system.

Systemic problems as complex as homelessness often leave us feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed because any effort we make can feel futile. How will a few dollars here or a cup of coffee there improve a person’s situation anyway? In fact, many think such generosity actually exacerbates their situation by enabling people to continue panhandling, or worse, pay for drugs or alcohol.

I’d like to suggest a different narrative this holiday season. I have a friend that I’ll call Steven. He moved to New York City after college for a job that he lost when his mental health declined. He consequently lost his health insurance, effectively halting his treatment.

Steven slept in the street because he didn’t feel safe in the city’s congregate shelters, an all-too-common feeling among homeless New Yorkers.

Additionally, the shame of what people would think of his mental health and homelessness forced him into despair and isolation.

When I met him on the street, he was completely alone. I invited him to volunteer at our outreach events. City Relief makes a point to include our unhoused guests as contributors, not just beneficiaries.

Steven agreed, and over time, began to open up to our team. He found purpose and a sense of belonging through serving other people in a similar situation. Eventually, City Relief staff helped him find appropriate mental health care, stable housing, and a job that pays a living wage.

Maybe you’re not sure how you can help people like Steven -- you are not alone. I (Daniel Sadlier) have met hundreds of people over the years who want to make a difference but don’t know where to begin. I've talked with many of our Roosevelt Island neighbors that feel like the increase in NYC homelessness, alongside the migrant crisis, is too large to even know where to start. If that’s you, remember this: always start with what you have, right where you are. For myself and so many of our neighbors, that is right here on Roosevelt Island, where each year we see a handful of un-housed neighbors find their way to our little neighborhood in the east River

Steven shared with City Relief staff that even on his worst days, there were random people who offered him the dignity of eye contact, a short conversation, or even a cup of coffee. He insists that these small acts of compassion carried him through the most difficult seasons of his life.

What if your family and friends were to dedicate an hour this holiday season to assemble what I call kindness kits? These are Ziploc bags that have essentials like travel-size deodorants, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, new socks, bottled water, or a gift card for a local coffee shop.

Once assembled, you can walk to the Roosevelt Island train station and look for people like Steven who might need help getting through the day. Or if that makes you uncomfortable, you can donate them to an organization like City Relief who will gladly distribute them on your behalf.

Another idea may be to collect winter coats, gloves, and hats that are in good condition and distribute or donate them to your neighbors who will spend a lot of time outside this winter. You could also make a financial donation to your nonprofit of choice and invite your friends or colleagues to follow suit. You will be surprised by how much helping others may end up helping you.

The truth is that many of us are experiencing difficulties right now. As a result, choosing compassion over complacency may not feel natural. But what we have learned from people like Steven is that when life is taking more from you than you have to give, the best thing to help yourself is to look for ways to help someone else.

"EVERY HUMAN A HOME '' BENEFIT CONCERT -On behalf of City Relief and Mosaic Church, we want to invite you to an epic benefit concert that will be held at the Chapel of The Good Shepherd this Saturday, Nov 18th at 5PM. Join us for folk, pop, R&B, and Classical from some of the best musicians around. In addition, learn a bit more about our current crisis here in New York, and how you can play your part to give every human a home